Hi guys and girls !
I just found out the Fabfilter issued a new version of their excellent Limiter
They included level compensation to avoid being tricked with the volume change
And Yes finally :
LUFS metering !
I'm gonna love it, I'm sure,,, (where's my credit card ??)

I find it adds a touch of distortion just turning it on but I also like the subtle smoothening (I think I hear) it adds. ?? Do others hear that?

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i heard distortion, but not the smoothening when i tried it, ditto for
oversampling, it seemed to modulate or degrade the signal some. the pro L 1/2 is by far the best limiter ive used, maybe not for pure raw volume maximizing, but it really can keep the transients and punch in the track. i describe it as pleasant sounding.

My bad, I’ve not tried this new L2, the L1 is what I have.
I’m excited to get this now! But the L1 lookahead did distort a tad so I’m wondering if the L2 does the same.

Did you try this version,Kyle? You heard the lookshead distort a bit?
I suspect it’s more of a processing argument from pushing the lookahead to far past where it should go naturally.

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yeah i got the V2 not too long after this thread started, i cant remember if it was 1 or 2 that i did tried the lookahead on, and i havent used any of my new stuff much, more just to try it out. that said this computer only has version 2 so i would guess it was version 2. i would describe it as a veil, the look ahead seemed to add a veil. i was surprised because i was expecting more clarity and headroom, since the peaks were pre-seen by the limiter. it did the opposite of the what i anticipated. i figured i was using it wrong. but i also wondered what the draw to look ahead was. i liked it best no look ahead, no over sampling. ive used it on a pretty clean and pretty dirty mix.

How do you find the look ahead feature? Do you use it?
I find it adds a touch of distortion just turning it on but I also like the subtle smoothening (I think I hear) it adds. ?? Do others hear that?

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Well the thing is we don’t use it as a maximiser (i mean we don’t Push it too hard) but as just a few transients here and there, so no it did not strike me that it added distortion. But now that you talk about it, I remember the first version adding a lot of distortion when pushed hard so I am inclined to believe that.
We mostly use the true peak limiting mode on TV mixes.

Sorry I should have make that clearer.

Yes, for music purpose, I would be careful. So far I have had good results with Other limiters.
By the way, the new version of the L1 does true peak limiting too.

My bad, I’ve not tried this new L2, the L1 is what I have.
I’m excited to get this now! But the L1 lookahead did distort a tad so I’m wondering if the L2 does the same.

Did you try this version,Kyle? You heard the lookshead distort a bit?
I suspect it’s more of a processing argument from pushing the lookahead to far past where it should go naturally.

Click to expand...

If you are looking for sweet saturation L2 added some Styles that will make you love it even more
Look a ahead is supposed to still give distortions on very short settings

I usually use the tape simulator in Ozone, so I never tested that aspect of L2. But I sure will in my next projects

Source : https://www.fabfilter.com/help/pro-l/using/advancedsettingsStyle
FabFilter Pro-L 2 comes with eight advanced and highly program-dependent limiting algorithms, which all have their own distinct character. One is not better than the other; they are all great, and they all go very loud if you want them to. It is best to select the appropriate algorithm depending on what kind of effect you want to achieve: some are designed to be as transparent as possible, while others may add a nice punch or flavor.

The default Lookahead, Attack and Release values are good starting points but feel free to tweak these to get the best possible results. Here's a short description of all algorithms:

Transparent: As the name says, this algorithm is designed to stay true to the original sound and feel as much as possible, avoiding pumping effects and coloring. It works great on most program material, but especially on rock and pop music.

Punchy: Of all algorithms, this one is the most apparent. When pushed, it becomes quite punchy and will introduce a bit of pumping, which can add some nice flavor. Since it's fairly 'safe', minimizing distortion most of the time, it works miracles on single tracks, like vocals, bass or guitar and can give a nice edge to beat-oriented music.

Dynamic: By enhancing transients before actually applying limiting, this algorithm excels in preserving the original punch and clarity of your audio. It's great on rock music, but it can work surprisingly well on other types of audio as well.

Allround: This algorithm is designed to work well on almost any program material, striking a good balance between loudness and transparency.

Aggressive: As the name implies, this algorithm uses an aggressive yet smart, near-clipping style of limiting. This works wonders on EDM/trance music but also shines on rock, metal or pop.

Modern: As the new default style in Pro-L version 2, the Modern algorithm sets the new standard for all-purpose, transparent limiting. It can achieve very high loudness and allows for very near-zero lookahead settings, while still sounding extremely clean and natural.

Bus: Especially nice for (drum) bus processing and individual tracks, this algorithm is not meant to be transparent, rather the opposite. Think glue, pump or squash!

Safe: No distortion ever, that's what this algorithm is designed to achieve. It's perfect for delicate acoustic and/or classical music, or individual instrument tracks.